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Proving Ground (episode)
For the military term, see proving ground. An Andorian ship commanded by Shran unexpectedly appears in the Expanse to help the Enterprise locate the Xindi superweapon. Summary contacts Archer]] As ''Enterprise'' is hot on the trail of the Xindi superweapon (thanks to Gralik's sabotage), the ship must traverse an exceptionally intense anomaly field. When the anomalies become too erratic, the ship is nearly destroyed; at the last moment, an unidentified ship locks on with a tractor beam and pulls Enterprise to safety. When Captain Archer contacts the ship to express his gratitude, he is flabbergasted and speechless to see Commander Shran looking back at him on the viewscreen. Shran comes aboard the ship and explains that he brought his ship, the Kumari into the Delphic Expanse to help stop the Xindi from destroying Earth. Shran phrases his speech so that it seems that the Andorians are using the occasion to show moral superiority to the Vulcans, who have not assisted their allies on Earth despite possessing the resources to do so. After a moment of hesitation, Archer accepts Shran's offer of assistance. Andorian engineers and maintenance crews come aboard (despite objections from Reed and T'Pol) and Shran himself brings Archer some Andorian ale and alludes to future cooperation between Humans and Andorians. Shran's tactical officer, Lt. Talas, is visibly annoyed by her assignment to help Lt. Reed repair the weapons systems. Trip later convinces Shran to share a piece of sophisticated technology. Meanwhile, Degra contacts the Xindi Council and informs them that while the superweapon is not ready, he is testing the second prototype in the Calindra System and will broadcast the test back to the Council. Enterprise and Kumari arrive just outside the Calindra System and the Andorians are able to obtain limited sensor data. During a brainstorming session, it is decided that since the Andorians are unknown to the Xindi, the Kumari will fly into the system and take scans during the test, then fly back out. Archer and T'Pol join Shran on the bridge of his ship for this venture, which leads to a humorous moment when Shran claims he is with the "Andorian Mining Consortium" and searching for a valuable mineral called "Archerite." Degra is not amused and orders the Kumari to stop scanning the weapon and leave the system or else be fired upon. With detailed scans in hand, the Kumari returns to Enterprise and the crew focuses on repairs to the ship. T'Pol deduces that this weapon is not large enough to destroy an entire planet, and Archer concludes that this is a proving ground, not unlike Bikini Atoll. Talas and Reed have come to an understanding and are working together quite nicely, even getting phase cannon efficiency up to 94%. Reed mentions that Talas' talents would be appreciated in Starfleet, and Talas retorts that Reed should consider joining the Imperial Guard if he ever tires of exploring. The crew of the Enterprise is able to watch the Xindi test via a relay from the Kumari's more advanced sensors. They are horrified to see a moon split in half by the weapon; however, it is later found that this was a failure. The Xindi council is furious with Degra for this setback, but Archer is gratified that Gralik had kept his promise to sabotage their weapon. Meanwhile, Reed catches Talas working on the sensor array without reason, but pretends to believe her flimsy excuse. Shran has an ominous conversation with an Andorian General, where he questions his mission and asks if it is worth making enemies of the humans. Back on Enterprise, Archer muses aloud that he wishes they could capture this prototype and study it, but T'Pol does not believe the weapon can be brought aboard due to the lethal radiation it is emitting. At this point, Shran offers to steal the weapon and store it in the Kumari's (better shielded) cargo bay until it is safe to transfer it to Enterprise. Archer is immediately suspicious of Shran's motivations for this uncharacteristically altruistic offer, which leads to a confrontation. Archer accepts Shran's offer, but only on the condition that he be allowed to command the Kumari during the retrieval. Shran grudingly agrees. Enterprise enters the system first, and Degra orders all the defending ships to attack; while those ships are distracted, Kumari enters the system from the opposite side and tractors the prototype into its cargo bay. Before Degra realizes that the Andorians are assisting the Humans, the weapon has been captured and both ships exit the system, without any damage. After the surprisingly successful raid, Archer orders the Kumari to rendezvous with Enterprise. At this point the Andorians end their charade of cooperation and reveal that their real intention was to steal the Xindi weapon for themselves. Archer is angry, but Shran tries to defend his actions. First, Shran emphasizes that his loyalty is with the Imperial Guard, and not with the "pinkskins." Shran reveals that the Imperial Guard wants to keep the Xindi weapon for themselves, as a weapon to potentially be used against the Vulcans. Archer states that Enterprise will fight for the weapon, but Shran counters that Talas had secretly sabotaged their sensor array and that Enterprise would not be able to find them. Furious that the Andorians would endanger Earth over a border dispute with the Vulcans, Archer punches Shran in the jaw, drawing blue blood from his lip. Shran orders Archer dropped off in an escape pod and tells Enterprise where to find him. The Andorians begin making detailed scans of the weapon. When Shran informs his superiors of the mission's success, he is visibly upset. When Enterprise arrives to pick up Archer, it is revealed that Lt. Reed had been closely watching Talas and her sabotage attempt was unsuccessful. Enterprise catches up with Kumari at an anomaly field, and Archer reveals that T'Pol had decrypted the weapon's arming protocols; Archer threatens to detonate the weapon while it is in Shran's cargo bay, but Shran believes he is bluffing. Shran asks Archer why he would do this, and Archer counters that he can not take the risk that the Andorians would use the weapon against the Vulcans. Shran questions Archer's loyalty to the Vulcans, and Archer senses that there is no compromise to be had. With no other options, Archer orders the weapon armed, and it begins to explode while still on board. Shran orders the weapon jettisoned, and it explodes in space. Enterprise is far enough away to avoid damage, but Kumari is heavily damaged. Archer offers help, but Shran graciously refuses. When the ships part ways, the Andorian vessel is limping away on auxiliary power. Just before it leaves sensor range, someone aboard Kumari sends a covert transmission to Enterprise, consisting of the detailed scans of the Xindi weapon. Archer orders the scans sent to Starfleet, and offers to share some Andorian ale with Trip and T'Pol. Memorable Quotes "The blue guys really know their stuff." : - Trip"' "The Andorian Mining Consortium runs from no one." : - '''Shran, sarcastically "It's not the size of the weapon, but the soldier who wields it." : - ' Talas, to Reed "''You like to talk about repaying debts. I've owed you that for a long time." : - Captain Archer, after suckerpunching Shran in the jaw Background Information * John Billingsley (Doctor Phlox) does not appear in this episode. * This episode featured not only the first good look at the interior of an Andorian ship, but also provided the first glimpse of Andoria, albeit briefly on a monitor. * The scale of the second prototype weapon is unclear in this episode. While at first the weapon looks massive, it is later able to fit within the Kumari as well as potentially within Enterprise. This does not seem right considering that the final Xindi superweapon was about the size of a small moon. * The Kumari's Captain's Chair is a reuse of either the Voyager's Captain's or XO's chair. * A costume worn by an Andorian officer on the Kumari was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction (item #2872). Links and References Guest Stars *Molly Brink as Talas *Randy Oglesby as Degra *Scott MacDonald as Dolim *Tucker Smallwood as Xindi-Primate councillor *Rick Worthy as Jannar *Granville Van Dusen as Andorian General And *Jeffrey Combs as Shran Co-Star *Josh Drennen as Thalen (credited as "Degra's Assistant") Uncredited Co-Stars *David Venafro as an Andorian References Andoria; Andorians; Andorian ale; Andorian Imperial Guard; Andorian Mining Consortium; Andorian battle cruiser; Andorian escape pod; Andorian shuttle; antimatter injector; Archerite; bathroom; Bikini Atoll; caffeine; Calindra System; cargo bay; coffee; crumpet; cycle; Degra's shuttle; General; Durr, Gralik; G-type star; EPS synchronizer; first contact; force field; infantry; isotopic signature; kemocite; Kumari; Lieutenant; memory core; microspanner; nuclear weapon; omni-directional sensors; phase coupler; phase regulator; photonic torpedo; pinkskin; potato chip; prototype; Reed, Stuart; Royal Navy; security clearance; Starfleet Command; tea; tractor beam; Tucker, Elizabeth; variable compression nozzle; Vulcans; Vulcan High Command; Xindi; Xindi-Arboreal; Xindi-Aquatic; Xindi-Insectoid; Xindi-Primate; Xindi-Reptilian; Xindi-Reptilian warship; Xindi Council |next= }} Category:ENT episodes de:Testgebiet es:Proving Ground nl:Proving Ground